It’s interesting at this late date to realize that until I was nearly 30 Charlie Chan in Shanghai (1935) was the third oldest Charlie Chan movie still kicking around. Since then Charlie Chan in Paris (1935) was discovered not to be lost and The Black Camel (1931) was cleaned up and put back in circulation. Back then, it was easily the most polished and best moving of the early movies. Now, it just seems like one of the gang of Fox — pre-20th Century merger — releases — slicker than The Black Camel (but not as ambitious), better paced and slicker than Charlie Chan in London (1934), but just about on par with Charlie Chan in Paris.
As I wrote in my book Charlie Chan at The Movies, “One of the unsung gems of the Charlie Chan series, Charlie Chan in Shanghai only errs through a fault that could scarcely have been considered a flaw at the time of its making. Unfortunately, due to a very famous role undertaken by the ‘mystery killer’ five years later, it has become difficult to even take the character seriously, much less be surprised when he is revealed in his true colors. On the off-chance that there are still those unfamiliar with this later characterization, we will only here note that one fully expects the actor to assure Charle, ‘I want to show you that I’m honest in worst way,’ before attempting to con him into buying some item of dubious value.” The modern viewer may well feel like noting — a la Groucho Marx at the end of The Big Store (1941) — “I coulda told you in the first reel he was a crook.”
With that caveat, it’s worth noting that the film is otherwise such a perfect Charlie Chan film that it hardly matters. True, invention has here started to give way to formula — even more so today when we rarely see these movies in the order they were made. But the formula is a good one — and in this instance has the good sense to slightly spoof itself, as when Charlie delivers a lengthy speech in Chinese that is translated by a native speaker as Charlie’s signature “Thank you so much.” In this regard — and many others — Charlie Chan in Shanghai feels like a movie that was very much made for the fans. Its use of mystery staples — like disguises, forged thumbprints, sudden shifts in suspects, even the old false-scare-by-cat — seem designed to appeal to more general mystery fans. These things may not make for great or baffling mystery (what Charlie Chan film does), but they make for a most excellent time at the movies with the beloved detective.
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.